Discworld Moist von Lipwig reading order
Terry Pratchett’s Moist von Lipwig novels — Going Postal, Making Money, Raising Steam — publication order, and why this is not City Watch book nine.
Start here
Going Postal
It is the first Moist von Lipwig novel (2004). You do not need The Colour of Magic first. You do not need to finish the Watch first, though the city is easier if you have already met it.
Three novels. Publication order. A con man is given institutions and told to make them work. That is the whole street.
This is not Watch #9. Vimes can appear. The job is still Moist’s. For the Watch spine see City Watch. For early Discworld tourism see Rincewind.
Some maps call these the Industrial Revolution books and quietly add The Truth or Monstrous Regiment. Those are neighboring Ankh-Morpork novels. They are not Moist 0 and Moist 4.
The three novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Going Postal | 2004 | Start here. | Amazon |
| 2 |  Making Money | 2007 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  Raising Steam | 2013 | Last Moist novel. | Amazon |
Read them in this order. Raising Steam is later Pratchett and a wider city book. It is still third, not a standalone railway novel you open because you like trains.
Optional neighbors
- Watch first, then Moist, if you want the city after Vimes has already forced it to grow up. Not required.
- The Truth, later, if you want the newspaper. Not Moist homework.
- Full Discworld publication order if you are collecting the whole Disc. That is a different project.
The BBC Going Postal film is a cousin of book one. It is not a reason to skip Making Money.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Raising Steam because the railway is in the shop window.
- Treating Moist as the last three Watch novels.
- Stuffing The Truth into the numbered column.
- Opening a 41-book chart and postponing the post office.
What to read next
- Discworld City Watch — If you want the other Ankh-Morpork job: the copper, not the con.
- Discworld — Rincewind — If you want the older travel comedy, knowing it is a different temperature.
- The Craft Sequence (Max Gladstone) — If the legal and financial improvising was the hook: gods, contracts, and cities as machines.
- Gentleman Bastards (Scott Lynch) — If you want another unfinished con, colder and without Vetinari to catch you.
- Stop after Raising Steam. The three are a complete visit.
FAQ
Is Moist a good Discworld starting point?
Yes. It is one of the later, cleaner doors. The city already exists; the books will teach you the rest.
Do I need the Watch first?
No. Cameos are cheaper if you have read Vimes. They are not homework.
Is Raising Steam required?
It is the third novel. The first two already make a finished pair if you stop. This house still lists all three.
Whole Discworld?
Not on this page.
Sources
- Discworld.com, reading order — official character-line approach. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Terry Pratchett, Discworld novels listing — novels in publication order. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
